Download File

MESOPOTAMIA
The Sumerians
MESOPOTAMIA
•
Cities began in 3000 B.C
•
Located in Egypt, China, and India
•
WATER INFLUNCED WHERE PEOPLE SETTLED!!!!
“THE LAND BETWEEN THE RIVERS”
•
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
•
Fertile Crescent- Rich fertile
farmland
•
Ran from the Mediterranean
Sea to the Persian Gulf
FARMING
•
No Rain in the Summer =No
crops in the Fall
•
Spring Floods brought SILT to
the land.
•
Over time DAMS were built
to save farmland
•
CANALS built to handle
overflow to the
fields(IRRIGATION)
SURPLUS OF FOOD
•
For the first time farmers had
a surplus of food
•
Surplus of food meant less
farmers are needed
creating job opening of
Artisans
•
Weavers, Pottery tools,
weapons, metal work.
THE SUMMARIANS
SUMER’S CIVILIZATIONS
MAJOR CITIES
• UR
•
Uruk
•
Eridu
•
Each city is governed as a
city-state.
•
Grow own crops
•
Used Mud Bricks to create
buildings
SUMERIAN RELIGION
•
Polytheism Beliefs
•
Each city had different
gods.
•
Large Temples called
Ziggurat
Top level was the home
of the god and special priest.
SUMERIAN GOVERNMENT
•
Governing Body
• Monarchy
•
Kings claimed they
were selected by
the gods to rule
(Divine right of the
King)
SOCIAL CLASSES
UPPER CLASS
MIDDLE CLASS
LOW CLASS
King, Gov. Officials,
Priest, Warriors
Merchants, Farmers,
Fishers, Artisans
Criminals and Enslaved
people
GENDER ROLES IN SUMERIAN CITIES
•
Men- Head of households
• Workers
• Boys went to school
•
Women – Ran homes and
raised children
FARMERS AND MERCHANTS
•
Farmers domesticated
•
•
Sheep, Goats, and Pigs
Farmers grew:
•
Wheat, Barely, Dates
Merchants Traded:
•
Food and pottery for metals
CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY
•
Writings- CUNEIFORM
•
1200 different characters
•
Earliest writing in history
•
Kept records of daily lives
•
Scribe began recording
using CUNEIFORM
TECHNOLOGY
•
1st people to invent the
wheel
•
Built Sailboat to trade
•
Wooden Plow
•
Potter’s Wheel
MATH
•
Used Geometry to measure
size of fields and plan
buildings
•
Set 60 sec for 1 minute
60 Min for 1 hour
Set a 12 month calendar